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Facebook, Instagram Tests Subscription Model


FILE - The logos of Facebook and Instagram and the words "Monthly subscription" are seen in this picture illustration taken January 19, 2023.
FILE - The logos of Facebook and Instagram and the words "Monthly subscription" are seen in this picture illustration taken January 19, 2023.

Meta Platforms on Sunday announced that it is testing a monthly subscription service, called Meta Verified, which will let users verify their accounts using a government ID and get a blue badge, as it looks to help content creators grow and build communities.

The subscription bundle for Instagram and Facebook, to be launched later this week, also includes extra protection against impersonation and will be priced starting at $11.99 per month on the web or $14.99 a month on Apple's iOS system and Android.

Meta Verified will be rolled out in Australia and New Zealand this week, with gradual launches in other countries to follow.

Meta's foray into subscription services follows Twitter, which announced its own paid model called "Twitter Blue."

Twitter charges users a monthly fee starting at $8 for web access and $11 iOS and Android users.

The Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has earlier said it was planning to launch several new products that would "empower creators to be way more productive and creative," while cautioning about the cost associated with supporting the technology for a large user base.

The new service mainly targets content creators.

Meta told AFP it conceived of the subscription idea because of requests from creators who are on the rise in their business undertakings.

The first rollout of Twitter's subscription plan caused an uproar when many fake accounts popped up pretending to be celebrities or companies and Musk's team was forced to swiftly suspend the rollout.

The first try in November came 10 days after Musk's $44 billion takeover of the platform and a mass round of layoffs that saw company staff levels halved, including teams of workers moderating content.

Other social media apps, like Snap Inc's SNAP.N Snapchat and messaging app Telegram launched paid subscription services last year, as a new source of revenue.

Information for this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse

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